White Dew丨蒹葭苍苍，白露为霜

大家好，今天是白露，White Dew, the third solar term in autumn.

白露是秋季的第三个节气。

An old saying goes like“白露秋风夜，一夜凉一夜.”After sunset①, temperatures decrease rapidly. At night, water vapor② in the air turns into small water-drops that settle on flowers, grass and trees. When morning comes, sunshine makes them look crystal clear.

有这样一句农谚, “白露秋风夜，一夜凉一夜”。日落之后，气温迅速下降。夜晚，水汽凝结成露珠，附着在花草树木上。在早晨阳光的照耀下，露珠晶莹剔透、洁白无瑕。

Osmanthus flowers start to bloom③ as White Dew arrives, and you'll notice a fresh scent if you happen to be close enough. The city of Guilin, one of the best-known tourist destinations in China, was named after the plant. For Chinese people, osmanthus flowers carry the meaning of true love, faithfulness, good fortune and prosperity④. For example, we say “Zhe Gui”, which literally means to pluck⑤ a branch of an osmanthus tree. In the past, it means to pass an imperial examination, but now it means to win a championship.

白露时节桂花开。恰巧走近盛开的桂花树，才能闻到怡人的桂花香。桂林，中国最著名的旅游城市之一，就因桂花而得名。对中国人来说，桂花象征永伴佳人、有忠贞之意，也寓意着吉祥如意、收获满满。例如，“折桂”的字面意思就是摘取桂树的枝条。古时，以折桂比喻科举及第；而今，则以折桂形容比赛夺冠。

According to a Chinese myth, in front of the Palace in the Moon, there is a huge osmanthus tree. Under the tree branches there is a mortal named Wu Gang who is wielding an ax chopping it. Wu stayed on the moon and was punished to cut down the sweet osmanthus tree. However, the magic tree had the ability to grow again, thus Wu spent the rest of his life cutting down the tree without resting.

中国神话故事《吴刚伐桂》中，月亮上的广寒宫前，有一棵高大的桂树。桂树下，有一个人每天伐树不止。这个被发配到月亮上砍树的人名叫吴刚。但桂树随砍即合，吴刚伐桂便永无休止。

During the White Dew period, grapes⑥become widely available for sale. Grapes are good for your health in autumn. Here in the city, Malu grapes are popular among locals. The Malu Grape Theme Park in Jiading District is where visitors can not only taste grapes of top quality, but also visit vineyards and pick their own.

正所谓“白露下葡萄”。白露时节，葡萄大量上市。秋天吃葡萄，对身体好处颇多。在上海，高人气品种当属马陆葡萄。在嘉定区马陆葡萄主题公园，游客不仅可以品尝到优质的葡萄，还可以参观葡萄园，亲手采摘葡萄。

In some parts of Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province, it's traditional to make White Dew wine or sweet rice wine during this period. People serve guests this sweet rice wine to show their hospitality⑦. Also known as “Jiuniang”, it can be used to make a typical dessert Mini Rice Balls with Sweet Rice Wine. But attention please! Since “Jiuniang” contains alcohol, after eating Mini Rice Balls with Sweet Rice Wine, you'd better not drive.

在苏浙一带，有自酿白露米酒的习俗。每年白露一到，家家酿酒，用以待客。这种米酒也叫“酒酿”，可以用来制作一道传统甜品酒酿小圆子。不过要注意的是，酒酿里含有酒精成分，吃了酒酿小圆子，可别开车了。

白露时节，秋深露重，遥祝秋安！